Passage
by Jody14
Summary: Ever since they returned from Heavenly Host Elementary, Ayumi Shinozaki didn't mourn the loss of her friends. She felt she had no right to. But recently she couldn't sleep either, as she has a night-time visitor every night. She worked up the courage, decided to return a favour and help him for once. Little did she know he'd end up helping her instead. (Ayushiki)
1. Night-Time Visit

_**A.N.:**_ So, I just recently got into the Corpse Party fandom. This fandom probably took the remains of my heart that were left after Assassin's Creed Revelations, stomped on the shreds, grinded them into dust and then burned the dust in the flames. But it's okay, it's not like I need a heart to live.

Back to happier (or sad still) topics, I've seen how everybody and their mother ships Ayushiki in this fandom. And I'm happy to join the club of Ayushiki shippers. I haven't done many fanfics recently, especially because of my final exams. After that, I had some time, and suddenly started working on three Ayushiki ones. Still a little bit too shy to submit them.

Anyways, I got my nerves together to post them now, so enjoy the fic. Obviously I don't own the characters, because if I did they would've gotten a happier ending.

* * *

**Passage**

_1. Night-Time Visit_

Ayumi sobbed and covered her ears with her hands.

It's been a week since the four of them returned from Heavenly Host Elementary's sealed off dimensions. Four of their classmates and their teacher died there, and their existence was completely erased from everyone but survivors' memories. Ever since they returned, Ayumi didn't cry or mourn. She often saw Satoshi and Naomi distance themselves from the rest of the class, lean on each other and mourn their lost friends in silence. Ayumi in the meantime pretended like nothing happened.

It's not that she wasn't sad about their deaths, no. She was sure Satoshi and Naomi thought her heartless, but she didn't even care anymore. It's not that she didn't want to mourn their deaths. She didn't allow herself to.

She still felt too much guilt. If she hadn't discovered that charm… if she hadn't made everyone do it… they never would have died. She had no right to mourn and move on, like Satoshi and Naomi eventually will. Their deaths would haunt her for the rest of her life, and she had to shoulder it by herself. She had to remember it forever, so she'd never make the same mistake again.

However at night, it was different. At night it all came back crashing down on her. She didn't even tell her sister Hinoe that she was constantly hearing a voice and footsteps walking around her room. Ever since she returned she had to sleep with her face buried into the pillow, because she didn't dare look up, to see who it was.

Then again she didn't really have to. She knew him very well.

He returned to her tonight as well. His light footsteps echoed from the walls, occasionally stopping here and there. He was always walking in circles, as if he was lost. Ayumi just wanted to cry. She knew he had no idea about what happened, and she simply didn't have the courage to face him and tell him the truth.

"Shinozaki? Shinozaki where are you?"

Ayumi sobbed again. How could she tell him that he was dead because of her? She loved horror stories, sure. But she was horrified of real ghosts and their wrath. She didn't want to face him. She was afraid of what he might do. If she tells him, he'll hate her. He'll haunt her forever. It's not that she didn't deserve it. She'd hate her too, if she was in his place, especially after how she treated him when he was still alive. She was afraid of him to death.

"Shinozaki, please… please, it hurts… I'm scared… I don't know where I am… just answer me, please…"

Ayumi sobbed again. She was being selfish again. She never thought about how he felt. She had no right to deny him a passage because she was too afraid to face him. He was here, because she was the only one who could help. He wasn't the only one either. She could often feel the wind of Shinohara rushing past her towards Naomi. She barely dared to set foot into drama club's room too. She often heard Suzumoto and Morishige's silent whispers in the corner, as if they were merely making plans for another play. Every time during homeroom she had to avert her eyes from Matsudo-sensei, so she didn't have to see the misty figure of Yui-sensei standing by him and looking at him with confused eyes, as if asking why he was standing in the place where she used to stand, telling her beloved students the things she used to tell them.

"Shinozaki… please, help me…"

His voice cracked, as if he was about to cry. She was still shaking in her bed, with her face buried into her pillow.

'_I can't, I'm so sorry…'_

Then he started to sob. That really broke her heart. She had never heard him cry before. Even as a ghost, he hasn't done so ever since he appeared. Usually she was the one always sobbing and crying, always dragging him down. He must be so scared right now. She took a deep breath to calm down. It was her responsibility. It was up to her to help him. He did so much for her in Heavenly Host, even to the point of risking his life for her.

And losing it.

It was only fair she returns the favour, the only way she can.

She rubbed her eyes and stood up with a determined expression on her face, even though her heart was still pounding against her chest. She didn't know what to expect. Will he be angry with her when she tells him? She imagined so. Who wouldn't be?

"Shinozaki…"

She once again took a deep breath. There was a cloud of mist swirling around in her room. Whenever it moved, she heard a silent footstep. It had no particular shape just yet, but Ayumi knew very well who it was.

"Kishinuma-kun?"

The light-blue transparent cloud finally stopped on the spot and started swirling around. For a second she could make out a figure of a boy with his face buried in his hands, crying. He still didn't know what happened to him. Ayumi was suddenly struck with a wave of despair. She felt tears she knew weren't her own running down her cheeks. She wished she didn't have to feel every emotion the spirits felt. He was scared out of his mind, and he was all alone.

"Kishinuma-kun!"

He finally lifted his gaze to look at her, but something was still wrong. It was as if he was looking right through her.

"Shinozaki? Shinozaki is that you? I can't see a thing, and it hurts so much! What's happening to me?"

Tears were still running down his cheeks. Ayumi had to grit her teeth. Now the pain was starting to kick in, the way he felt it. It burned. It was so hot. It felt as if her skin was melting off her body. She winced, but she didn't allow herself to scream. For one thing she didn't want to wake Hinoe up. But most of all, she had no right to scream and cry out in pain, knowing that this pain was what he felt at the moment of his death.

"Kishinuma-kun, can you hear me?"

He started to look around. He was searching for the source of the voice. It pained Ayumi to see him so scared and confused. That's what happened to the souls who were caught in between. He wasn't fully present in the real world, but he couldn't move on either. If he couldn't find the path by himself, then she needed to show him the door. She had to give him a way to get into contact with her, if that was what he wanted.

"Kishinuma-kun, I'm right here…"

"Shinozaki, I… I still can't see… it still hurts… everything is so blurred, please, help me!"

His apparition was still not completely clear. He still wasn't with her. She took a deep breath. The only way left to show him the way was by physical contact. She grabbed his hand with both of her own. She couldn't feel her hands actually holding it. She couldn't actually grasp it. But she could feel the cold. All she could do was to pretend her hands were holding his, and hope he would sense his skin making a contact with hers somehow.

"Shinozaki…"

His eyes finally focused on hers. Ayumi slowly exhaled. He should be able to see her now. His image became much clearer. He was still confused as to where he was though, which came as no surprise. He never actually was over at her place.

"Are you with me now, Kishinuma-kun?"

"Y…yeah…"

He calmed down a bit. Ayumi was happy to see that he at least wasn't in pain anymore.

"H…hey, I still… don't know what this place is…. Where are we, Shinozaki?"

Ayumi was still rubbing her eyes to wipe away the tears, but she had to chuckle a little. Typical Kishinuma.

He frowned a little.

"What's so funny, Shinozaki?"

"You're in my room."

"Your room?"

He looked around him. It certainly seemed like what he expected Ayumi Shinozaki's room to be like. There was a package of candles on her desk, and she had quite a lot of occult books stored neatly on her bookshelf. There was a girly feel to the room as well though, as she also had small plush toys set up on her shelves and bed.

"I've never seen your room before… I didn't know you liked this kind of stuff, considering your obsession with the occult…"

Ayumi blushed.

"Sh… shut up!"

She was known as the horror class rep of the Kisaragi High. If the word ever got out that she still liked cute plush toys, no one would ever be able to take her horror stories seriously anymore.

She sighed. Not that the word ever could get out though… the only person in her class who got to see her room was gone. As the thought crossed her mind tears slipped down her cheeks again.

"Speaking of which…"

She looked up again.

"…How did I even get into your room, Shinozaki?"

Ayumi sobbed. She had to tell him, didn't she. Yoshiki started to panic.

"U… um… I'm sorry Shinozaki, I didn't want to make you cry, really, I just…"

"Kishinuma-kun… You aren't with me anymore…"

He stared at her for a while. Then he suddenly gasped.

"Oh god, did I leave you all alone by yourself? Did I stop hanging out with you and hurt your feelings or something? Did I say something mean to you?"

If he were still alive, she'd find the way he panicked quite comical. He was always so worried about her, and she wanted to slap her past self in the face for never noticing how sweet he was to her. Now she just found it heart-breaking. He was dead. He was dead, and even in afterlife he was still worrying about her so much. She buried her face in her hands and cried harder. Kishinuma was just standing in front of her, feeling lost and unsure of what to do.

"Uuuh… Shinozaki, I'm so sorry, I keep making you cry… um… is it best if I just go, or…"

She kept sobbing, but she finally managed to say it through tears.

"It's… it's nothing like that, Kishinuma-kun, you… you aren't here anymore… you died…"

"Huh?"

For a short while he was just standing there as the truth hit him, and Ayumi kept silently sobbing. He wasn't sure how to react. Then he let out a panicked chuckle.

"I… I died? But… that can't be true, can it? We… we were just together in Heavenly Host, weren't we? We managed to get out somehow, right? Probably Yuki just brought us back again and…"

Even as he said that, tears still started to stream down his cheeks again. Ayumi just turned her back on him, collapsed on her bed and cried her heart out into her pillow. This really was too much for her to handle.

"H…hey, Shinozaki, what's wrong, come on… you have to stop crying, you're really scaring me…"

She could feel him sit down by her feet. He awkwardly tried to pat her head like he used to. She could feel his hand on her hair. She missed him awkwardly patting her head like that, but it just wasn't the same anymore. His hand didn't radiate the warmth of a living being anymore, and she missed that warmth the most.

"Huh?"

Ayumi just cried harder.

"H… hey, Shinozaki… my… my hand is going straight through you, stop joking around, please…"

She wanted to hug him and cry in his lap. She had selfishly done it many times before in Heavenly Host, but now he just wasn't there for her to do so anymore. And it was all her fault.

"Kishinuma-kun, I'm so sorry, but you're _dead_!"

He didn't respond this time. He was just looking at her, still very scared and confused, as if she was the one who was clueless as to what was going on.

"You saved me from that anatomical model, remember? You tried to charge at it, and… and you couldn't save me… you were bleeding really badly, and I told you to just leave me behind, but you wouldn't… you set the anatomical model on fire, and… and you saved me, but… then it latched on to you from behind, and… Kishinuma-kun, you _burned to death, right in front of me_!"

She kept sobbing into her pillow. She couldn't possibly tell him the rest. She couldn't possibly tell him how she just kicked his charred body off her in panic after his burnt up remains collapsed on top of her. She couldn't tell him, how she pried the science lab key he picked up earlier from his dead hands, scurried to her feet and ran out of the science lab, leaving his dead body behind without a second thought. How she didn't even feel how the hot metal key she was holding burnt her hands, because her only thought back then was that she wanted to live.

He remained quiet. She slightly turned her head to peer at him through her tears. His empty eyes were just staring into the distance. He was starting to accept the fact that he was gone. She sobbed again.

He's going to turn into one of those malevolent spirits, isn't he? She could feel the air around him charging with static. It often happened, just before all the emotions pent up in one's soul were about to be released. She deserved whatever punishment may come. She was the reason he was dead, after all.

But his soul didn't colour a bright red. Instead he just ran his hand through his already messy blond hair, just like he used to whenever he was nervous. Ayumi still remembered this gesture of his so well.

"God… how am I going to explain this to Miki? She'll be devastated…"

Ayumi's breath hitched in her throat as she sobbed again.

"She… she doesn't remember you, Kishinuma-kun. She doesn't even know she ever had a brother, your entire existence was completely erased from reality… no one but those who survived know you ever lived…"

She buried her face in her hands again.

"I'm so sorry, Kishinuma-kun, this is all my fault, I... I just wanted for us to always stay friends… I never thought this would happen… if I knew how, I'd make it right again, and…"

"Shinozaki… You're still alive, aren't you?"

"Huh?"

She looked up to see his face again. To her surprise, he was smiling. He didn't seem angry with her in the slightest. His eyes felt warm, and his spirit was still glowing with a soft blue light.

"Are you still alive and well?"

She sobbed again.

"Y…yes. Yes, I'm still alive. I've been better before in my life, but I'm still alive."

"Good. That's all I wanted to hear. Promise me you won't do anything stupid, okay?"

She was the reason he died, and this was all he cared about? How could he forgive her all she did so easily? Why would he, when she was always so cold and careless to him? She didn't deserve to be forgiven just like that.

"Why? Why aren't you angry with me? I'm the reason you died, so why do you still not hate me?"

He just smiled and tried to wipe the tears still streaming down her cheek with his thumb. His hand once again just passed right through her, and she shivered at the sudden cold. He gave another nervous chuckle.

"Sorry… I forgot… no touch, I guess…"

She sobbed.

"You still didn't answer my question…"

"Well, that's because…"

He gave her one of those smiles he only ever let her see. She had to try really hard to keep herself from bursting into tears again.

"That's because you're Shinozaki Ayumi. You're the girl I loved. There is no way in hell I'd ever want to hurt Shinozaki Ayumi. There's no way in hell I could hate her and no way I'd ever want to see her cry. So please, Shinozaki, just… wipe away your tears. It really hurts to see you cry like that over someone like me."

She just buried her face back into her pillow and kept crying her heart out. He was just making everything worse.

'_You stupid idiot, it'd make everything so much easier if you just hated me…'_

"C…come on, Shinozaki, please, just… just stop crying, okay?"

"I'm… I'm so sorry, Kishinuma-kun…"

He just watched her with his sad eyes. She was really hurting him, crying so much, after he wanted to see her happy.

"I wish you weren't dead, Kishinuma-kun… I wish you were still here with me… and it's just so much worse, because I didn't know how I felt back then… I told you I hated you, I told you I hated you so many times, over and over, but that wasn't true at all… In truth, I really liked you… I liked that you were always there for me. I liked how you always let me lean on you when I cried… I liked to see you do your best for me, even though I've never shown you that I appreciate it… honestly, I didn't hate you at all, I hated the fact that I was having feelings for you and that I wasn't able to tell you… I just hated myself, because I felt like I wasn't loyal to my crush on Mochida by having feelings for you… and I'm so sorry that my coming to terms with what I felt for you came way too late…"

Yoshiki wasn't exactly sure how to respond. The love of his life just confessed that she felt the same way about him now, when it was already too late for both of them. What could he possibly say to that?

"Hey, Kishinuma-kun?"

Her voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

"Will you kiss me?"

"W… what?"

"Please, Kishinuma-kun?"

Even though he was nothing but a ghost Ayumi could notice that he still blushed. It was clearly visible since the skin on his cheeks turned a lot less transparent.

"W… what are you saying… I'm still just a ghost, after all… y…you really shouldn't waste your first kiss on a ghost, you know? A… and besides, you told me once that ghosts feel really cold… Don't I feel cold? I bet this kind of first kiss will suck ass…"

"I don't care if it's cold. And it won't suck… and stop cursing just for once, _please_!"

Yoshiki scratched the back of his head. He really wasn't sure what Ayumi was thinking right now. She was always so rational, and this just wasn't like her.

"A…anyway, can you just kiss me? I want to be kissed at least once… by Kishinuma-kun. Please?"

"I… um… I'd gladly kiss you if I were still alive, you know, but…"

"Please?"

Yoshiki sighed. This was Ayumi after all. There was no way he could begrudge her anything, even if it was a wish this absurd.

"O…okay then, if you really want to I will. It's not that I don't want to, but… Honestly, it's my first kiss too, you know… I'm kinda nervous…"

Ayumi gave him her most disbelieving look.

"I… I'm serious! Don't look at me like that!"

She had to giggle. She never knew Kishinuma could be teased like that.

"Okay, okay…"

"So… um, how exactly do we do this?"

Ayumi smiled.

"I'll let you figure that out on your own."

His apparition was still blushing like crazy. Then he finally gathered enough courage, closed his eyes and leaned closer to her. Ayumi closed her eyes as well. At first their lips just gently brushed against each other. It was a very shy first kiss. She could tell they came into contact though, because she suddenly felt something cold touch her lips. They tried again, and this time it was more like a real kiss. It wasn't bad at all. It felt similar to drinking icy cold water with ice cubes in the summer. Despite her first kiss being cold as ice she could still tell that Kishinuma was a good kisser.

Maybe she could've had all this, if she wasn't so oblivious to his feelings. Maybe she would've known what his kisses were like, when they aren't icy cold. And maybe they could've been happy together.

If only she hadn't been so obsessed with Mochida back then.

A couple of minutes later they moved apart. Ayumi felt a bit cold, and she could tell that she was silently crying. Kishinuma started to panic a bit again.

"Are you cold? I'm so sorry, I knew we shouldn't have done this… or is it that my kissing was that bad?"

Ayumi rubbed her eyes to wipe away her tears.

"Don't be stupid, Kishinuma-kun… your kiss was great…"

"W… was it? I'm glad…"

She could tell he really was relieved about it.

"I just wish I wasn't so stupid when you were still alive. I wish I could still have a chance of being kissed by you like that…"

He sighed.

"I'm really really sorry, Shinozaki."

"No… don't be. I'm sorry. I'm sorry, for being so very dense and not seeing your feelings when they were so obvious… I'm sorry for always insulting you and bossing you around… and I'm sorry for hurting you when I constantly tried to compare you to Mochida… I guess they were right, when they said that you'll finally realise what you had only the moment when you lose it."

"Yeah… I guess they were…"

For a while they were both just sitting on her bed, and watching the night sky through Ayumi's window. After about half an hour of sitting like that in silence Ayumi finally whispered.

"Hey, Kishinuma-kun?"

"Yeah?"

"There's… something I need to do tomorrow at school. Would you mind sticking around a little longer and helping me out a little, just like you used to?"

He smiled.

"Ofcourse I'll help you out. I can't say no to Ayumi after all…"

"Thanks, Ki… Yoshiki. It means a lot to me."

"It's best for you to get some sleep then, isn't it?"

"Yeah. I guess it is."

He watched Ayumi lay down and pull the sheets all the way up to her nose. She fell asleep almost instantly, with a smile on her face. She hasn't smiled like this in a while. He didn't really need any sleep. But he still lied down next to her and pressed another kiss to her cheek.

He loved her smiling face best, after all.

* * *

**A.N.:** Hope you enjoyed the first chapter of this (and yes, after a long while this will be a multi-chapter story). Reviews and feedback are appreciated, they inspire me to write more.

See you soon with chapter two.

Jody14


	2. One Last Run

**A.N.:** So, I post this fanfic, I go to bed, and when I wake up, there's such a nice surprise waiting for me.

Oh my god, you guys, thank you so very much. Just for the first chapter, I received eight reviews in one night alone. That's by far the most reviews I've gotten on a story's first chapter. I am so very glad you guys enjoyed it so much, and I hope you continue enjoying it. Thank you so very much for greeting me into this fandom so nicely, with open arms and all the beautiful reviews I've gotten from you. Apparently there has been a glitch and some reviews won't show up on the review list though, so I'll make an exception, and respond to your reviews with this author note rather than through personal notes.

"_Good work!"_ - reebellion  
Thank you very much.

"_So... Awesome... Ghfjvjvjvbnbjhjbj jnbkguvh y ub g MORE! -dies-"_ - jakeri9  
Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it and I'll definitely update as soon as possible.

"_:Omg this is so great, honestly, i even cried..."_ - Guest  
I can completely relate. I cried a bit as well when I was writing it. I'm glad you enjoyed it nonetheless

"_Oh. I originally thought this was a one shot. But I do look forward to the next chapter. :)"_ –TheKittenAuthor  
Yes, it's a multi-chapter. I thought it was going to be a one shot story too, but later I got an idea for a different final scene, and I'll do my best for the rest of the chapters not to go down in quality. It's still not going to be a very long story though, I give it five chapters max.

"_maybe when they wake up yoshiki comes back, because of the power of LOVE_!" –OREOPIES  
Honestly, sometimes I just wish things could go down like this in the actual game. But this is Corpse Party after all, and sometimes I feel like the game was designed to break hearts.

"_This is really good. The story is original (as original as a fanfiction can get), unlike many others on this website. Your grammar is impeccable, which I thank you for (bad grammar is a pet peeve of mine). Also, I can't get enough of Ayushiki! :)  
Thanks for writing this and sharing it with me and the other Corpse Party fans - I'm eagerly anticipating the next chapter!"_ – Guest  
Thank you very much for this beautiful review, and I am so sad that the review system broke down and your review is one of those that wouldn't show up. I'm so glad that I had reviews set on email notifications, so I could still read it. You praising the originality of this story means a lot to me. I'm also very proud of the fact that I did improve my grammar a lot (my grammar used to be a disaster, to the point of me being so ashamed of it in some older fanfics I've posted that I deleted them altogether). Since I'm now a student of English, however, I do have some expectations of myself as well, one of them being that I need to do my best with grammar, even when doing school unrelated things, like writing a fanfic. So once again, thank you very much for this praise.  
Same here, Ayushiki is the one pairing that stole my heart, but also broke it multiple times. I sometimes wish the authors of the game would stop doing that.

"_this was sooooo good i felt like actually crying good job."_ –taryn (Guest)  
I can easily believe that, especially since there were some points when I cried myself when writing this. Glad you enjoyed it despite it almost making you cry.

"_Awesome. The very definition of a tragedy-romance. Keep up the good work- I can't wait to see this become a multi-chapter story."_ -shannonb7593  
Thank you. I'll definitely do my best with it, and hopefully the rest of the chapters turn out as nicely as the first.

Now, back to the fanfic.

* * *

2. One Last Run

"No peeping."

"Yeah, yeah."

Ayumi pulled her pyjamas over her head and changed into her school uniform. She checked on Yoshiki in the meantime, to make sure he really wasn't looking at her. But her worries proved unnecessary after all. He never would've intentionally done something she didn't want him to, let alone something that would result in making her feel uncomfortable. When she was ready she told him it was okay to look, and they walked down the stairs so she could have a quick breakfast before leaving for school.

Hinoe was already up, but their mom didn't seem to be around. Yoshiki leaned on the doorway and waited for Ayumi to eat her breakfast in peace. His eyes didn't leave her for a second though. Suddenly Hinoe spoke up.

"You seem to be in a better mood today, Ayumi."

"Yeah, something really good happened yesterday."

"It wouldn't happen to involve your secret admirer standing by the doorway, would it?"

Hinoe chuckled when Ayumi choked on her piece of toast with jam. How did Hinoe always _know_ about these things? Even Yoshiki slightly jumped and blushed.

"You thought I wouldn't notice, little sis? It's pretty obvious he can't take his eyes off of you for even a second."

"Come on, Hinoe… please, stop…"

Ayumi started to slip back into the same depressed mood she has been in for a week. Hinoe stopped smiling.

"All joking aside…"

She turned back to Yoshiki.

"You see, spirits have been latching themselves on to Ayumi a lot recently, and not all of them were good. So I've grown quite suspicious of them, especially if they are boys. And since you seem to be her shadow today, would you mind introducing yourself?"

To Ayumi's surprise, Yoshiki bowed.

"Kishinuma. Kishinuma Yoshiki. I'm… I used to be… Ayumi's classmate until recently."

"I see…"

Hinoe's expression quickly saddened.

"Kishinuma-kun… Ayumi told me a lot about you, you see… ever since she returned from… _that_ place. It's such a shame… you seem like such a nice boy… polite too… I'm so very sorry about what happened to you…"

Ayumi suddenly sniffled and Yoshiki's eyes immediately darted back to her.

"I can tell you care about her very much, you know? Thank you for always taking care of my little sister…"

An awkward silence fell over the three of them.

"That being said… I think you both realise the predicament you found yourselves in. This kind of relationship between the living and the dead is unheard of. You know better than anyone that you can never give her the happiness you want her to have. And she knows better than anyone that this kind of relationship isn't healthy. It's like falling in love with one's imaginary friend. You'll make her happy at first, but in the end she'll just realise you're forever out of her reach, and it'll just make her more and more miserable, until she breaks. Do you understand that, Kishinuma-kun?"

"Yeah. I understand perfectly. I had no intention of latching myself on to Ayumi forever. It just so happened that I didn't understand what happened to me, and I ended up getting attached to the one I cared for the most, after the closed spaces collapsed and I had no place to go. I promise I'll be gone by the end of today."

"I'm glad you're being reasonable about this. Not all ghosts are."

Ayumi choked on a sob she was holding back and let her tears fall. It took Yoshiki less than a second to show up by her side again and hold onto her hand.

"Come on, Ayumi… you know there's no need to cry over me, okay? Just… smile. I really want to see your smile before I leave. If I know I just made you cry over me again… It'll make me sad too, you know?"

He could tell she tried to. She tried to flash him a smile through tears, but her seemingly strong façade crumbled down like a house of cards. She couldn't do it after all. If she knew she'd never see Yoshiki again after the day was over, she just couldn't keep smiling. Yoshiki could only let out a weak sigh.

"Ayumi…"

Hinoe walked up to her little sister and pulled her into a hug.

"Can you please leave the room for a second, Kishinuma-kun? She needs to calm down a little."

Yoshiki just nodded. It was for the best. He was just causing Ayumi more pain like this. He walked out of her house. She needed some space. She'll come looking for him when she's ready.

In the meantime Hinoe hugged her little sister and gently rubbed her back to calm her down. Ayumi kept crying on her shoulder as if her heart was breaking. It felt like it was to her, at least. It took her about half an hour to finally calm down. Even then she kept leaning her head on her sister's shoulder and stared into the distance, her eyes empty.

"Ayumi, honey… if you love him, you have to let him go. You know that."

"I do, sis, I really do, but… I didn't know I felt this way about him before, and… if Kishinuma-kun isn't here… if he isn't here for me, I just can't keep on going, doing my best… I could only do my best in Heavenly Host, because he was there supporting me all the way, and if he isn't with me anymore…"

Hinoe sighed.

"He's right you know… I can tell he loves you very much, and he can't bear to see you in pain either. You have to give him a proper send-off, Ayumi. I'm not going to lie, it'll hurt. It'll hurt you both. But the best thing you can do for him is to send him off with a smile. If you don't, he'll just worry about you more, even after death. If you really love him, do you really want that?"

"N..no, I don't…"

"See? Now go wash your face and dry your tears. He's waiting for you, you know?"

"Yeah…"

Ayumi finally managed a proper smile.

She had to stop moping around. She was being selfish again. How horrible this must be for Kishinuma-kun. He worried about her so much with every step. She had to give him proof enough that there was no need to worry. He has done a great job protecting her. She was still alive because of him. And there was no way she'd discard his effort and his sacrifice by moping for the rest of her life. She'll be fine, eventually.

She put on the best smile she could manage at this time, and walked out of the house. Even though her smile was forced it turned into a proper honest smile as soon as she saw Yoshiki immediately look up the moment she walked out through the door.

"I'm sorry for the wait."

"Don't worry about it… um… are you okay? Your eyes are still kinda red, I'm sorry for making you cry…"

She scowled and tried to punch him in the ribs. She was quickly reminded that she couldn't do that anymore, as she fell right through him. She felt as if she passed through an ice cold shower, and landed face first on the ground just a moment later.

"W… what was that for? Shinozaki, are you okay?"

Back to family name basis again, huh…

"I told you _so many times_ that you shouldn't be saying such things to girls…"

She pulled herself up into a sitting position. Her knees were scraped a little, and her nose hurt, but other than that she was okay. She rubbed her nose and wiped away the tears welling up in the corners of her eyes. She didn't even cry because of being in pain as much as she did because she once again realised she'll never be able to punch him like that again.

She slowly got up and dusted off her skirt.

"Hey…"

She looked up at him. He seemed slightly nervous, anticipating her next course action. But at the same time, he was worried about whether she was okay or not.

"Y…yeah?"

"Can you… can you please call me by my first name again?"

"Eh?"

"You heard me, Yoshiki."

He blushed and averted his eyes.

"Um… it's not that I mind, but I'm so used to calling you 'Shinozaki'… are you sure?"

"If I say it, I mean it."

"O…okay… Ayumi…"

As soon as he said it he blushed again.

"It's really embarrassing, you know?"

She blushed as well and looked at her feet.

"Y… you'll have to get used to it, Yoshiki…"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

She took a deep breath and gathered the courage to look him in the eyes again.

"Yoshiki, for this one day… I want you to be my boyfriend. So you have to call me by my first name. Is that okay with you?"

"Y…your boyfriend? Are you for real?"

Ayumi had to giggle.

"Yeah. For real. Are you going to take this opportunity or not?"

Ever since she figured out how easy it was to tease him, she's been doing it with pleasure. She only wished she could see him blush the way he was blushing right now when he was still alive. She could've sworn she saw particles around his chest shiver like crazy as well. If he was with her, body and flesh, she was sure his heart would pound its way right out of his chest.

"U…um… okay, Ayumi…"

"See, it's not that hard. Can we hold hands too?"

"B…but people will see… is that okay with you?"

Ayumi's smile quickly disappeared.

"They won't…"

He realised what he said.

"Yeah… I guess they won't…"

He was just a ghost now after all… people who weren't gifted the way Ayumi and Hinoe were, wouldn't be able to see him. In fact he felt bad for Ayumi. It must be tough, being able to see spirits. He wondered how many were around right now.

She seemed to have guessed his thoughts.

"There aren't any. If there were, you'd be able to see them too. All the spirits of people who died around here moved on by themselves…"

"Right…"

She took his hand and they walked to school in silence. Just before they joined the crowd of people flooding into the school gate Ayumi whispered.

"In fact… this is the favour I asked you for yesterday… the others who…"

She had to swallow her tears again.

"The others who died in there haven't moved on yet either… and I don't think I can face them without your support."

"What's the problem? Don't tell me you've just been blaming yourself all this time?"

She frowned.

"How could I not? I was the one who made them all do the charm, they ended up in that school because of me, and they all died because of me. It'd be a miracle if they weren't all angry at me. I… I can understand to some point why you don't hate me… on the other hand I still really can't… I've hurt you a lot when you were alive, just saying sorry doesn't make all that go away. You have every right to hate me…"

"But…"

"I know, I know… but you don't. You don't, because I'm Shinozaki Ayumi. You've told me that before."

He sighed.

"Y'know, speaking of things I've told you before, we've also had a similar conversation before in Heavenly Host… I told you before that this isn't your fault, didn't I? You couldn't have possibly known that this would happen. None of us could. Just… stop trying to shoulder all the blame by yourself. You don't deserve to live like this, Ayumi. No matter how hard you try to convince yourself that you do."

She wished she could squeeze his hand right now, to somehow reassure him that she understood, and that she was thankful for these words. What he said really made her feel better.

"Are you ready for this? You and Satoshi were best friends, weren't you? This isn't going to be pleasant for you either. He… changed, quite a lot."

Yoshiki took some time to respond. He could imagine that the loss of his friends hit Satoshi pretty hard. He was always a nice guy, who easily got along with everyone, and losing them all just like that must have been quite a shock. Still, he wasn't going to back down now.

"I promised you I'd be with you all the way, didn't I?"

Ayumi gave a weak smile.

"Thanks… for one last run with me, Yoshiki."

* * *

When they entered the classroom, Yoshiki's eyes immediately searched for Satoshi. He's been anxious to see what Ayumi meant, ever since her warning.

She was right. Satoshi really did change.

His eyes had dark rings under them, and his gaze was distant. He didn't walk up to any of the classmates he used to frequently chat with. Now he was simply sitting behind his desk, looking through the window. He seemed so sad. Yoshiki felt uneasy seeing his best friend like this. This wasn't like Satoshi at all. He wasn't supposed to look this sad. He was supposed to lift everyone else's spirits up.

Ayumi walked to her desk and put down the bag. She nervously looked up at Satoshi and tried to strike a conversation.

"U…um… Good morning, Mochida-kun…"

"Yeah…"

He barely gave her any attention. He didn't even look at her, and he responded merely out of politeness, to at least let her know he still acknowledged her existence. Ayumi was quickly discouraged by his lack of response to her. But for some reason this same lack of response struck Yoshiki's nerve.

"Hey, dude, come on! At least give Shinozaki a proper answer, you can't treat her like that!"

Satoshi didn't respond to him either.

"Hey, are you listening to me? At least look at me when I'm speaking to you, god dammit!"

Ayumi froze in place, unsure of what to do. Yoshiki completely forgot that Satoshi couldn't see nor hear him. She had to stop him, but she didn't know how. She couldn't just yell for him to stop, everyone would think her crazy. She couldn't grab his sleeve to get his attention either, since it'd look like she's grabbing thin air to anyone looking at her at the moment. She couldn't help herself from letting out a quick gasp as Yoshiki reached his hand to grab Satoshi's collar and pull him up, just like he used to do whenever the two of them got into a fight.

He was quickly reminded of the cruel reality though, when his hand passed right through Satoshi. All the anger welling up inside him before quickly dissipated, and he slowly made a step back. Ayumi caught the look in his eyes. She knew it was a bad idea to have them both in the same room together, with Satoshi as he was right now. Yoshiki was his best friend after all. And it was killing him to see his best friend in this state.

"Are you fucking kidding me right now… come on, Satoshi, snap out of it!"

Ayumi moved into his field of vision and slightly shook her head so no one but Yoshiki would notice.

"Right… he can't… see me or hear me… I get it…"

Satoshi just sighed, oblivious to the scene that was unfolding right in front of him. He shivered at the sensation of cold as Yoshiki's hand passed through him. He rubbed his arms and let out a sigh.

"It's… pretty cold, isn't it, Shinozaki?"

Yoshiki just stared at him in sadness. He just wanted to tell him it'll be fine. To stop moping like this, and move on.

"Y… yeah…"

By the sound of her voice, he could also tell that Ayumi was trying really hard to hold back the tears. For a second Satoshi's eyes turned to her. He seemed puzzled.

"Shinozaki? Is everything okay? You seem…"

"No, it's… it's fine…"

"You sure?"

"Uh-huh…"

She could barely speak over the lump in her throat. It took everything she had to keep herself from bursting into tears. She has been selfish long enough. She needed to do this for Yoshiki's sake too.

"I… can I ask for a small favour, Mochida-kun?"

"Um… sure, what is it?"

Yoshiki was glad to see Satoshi more confused than saddened at this point.

"Um… I… need you to stay at school for a while after today's classes… there's something… really important that I need to talk to you about…"

Satoshi stared at her, still in a state of confusion. What was it that he needed to know so badly and she couldn't say it now?

"Sure, when do you want to meet up?"

"At around half past five in front of the cafeteria… is that okay?"

"At half past five?"

She clenched her teeth. It must be a bit suspicious for her to be asking him to stay this long. Classes would be over at around three, and lunch took place at four. However she had to wait until at least five when club activities started. Morishige and Suzumoto only appeared then in drama club's room and she reckoned it'll take her a while to properly explain to them that they needed to pass on. She had to take care of everyone else before letting Yoshiki speak to Satoshi. She wanted to give them both as much time as they needed to say goodbye. It wasn't fair for their goodbye to be cut short, because of what she needed to do for her own little selfish consciousness.

"It has to be half past five, Mochida-kun. It's really important. Please?"

"Uuh… sure, I don't really mind, but… would you at least mind telling me what you're…"

He was cut short by the teacher's arrival. Ayumi hurried back to her desk, and it only took Satoshi about five minutes to revert back to his gloomy state. He wasn't known for being an honour student or anything like that. Unlike Yoshiki he at least tried to follow the lectures before. But now he just absent-mindedly stared through the window for the most of the lecture. Ayumi had a hard time focusing as well. It certainly wasn't easy, seeing Yoshiki just standing in front of Satoshi, still feeling lost and unable to do anything that could make his best friend feel better. The fact that Satoshi glanced to Yoshiki's empty desk from time to time didn't make anything any better.

Still unsure of what to do, Yoshiki wandered to his old desk. It felt a bit weird, wandering around the classroom in the middle of the lecture like that. If he pulled off something like this while he was still alive he would've gotten one hell of a detention. If he wasn't so worried about the state Satoshi was in right now, he'd be pretty amused.

He let out a silent sigh when his eyes glanced over the faded scribbles on his desk. Ayumi often scolded him about scribbling on school property like that, but for him and Satoshi it held so many good memories. During the breaks they'd play Tic-Tac-Toe and just make small talk about the newest videogames and manga. Sometimes after they fought and he was fuming, he'd just scribble around with his pencil to vent out the frustration of it all. Then they'd make up soon after, eat their lunch boxes behind this very table and just laugh at some of the dumbest jokes known to mankind.

His gaze stopped on one of the smaller notes on the desk's surface. It was one of the more recent ones. He scribbled it right after they fought, barely a day before cultural festival. Now, after a week, the pencil marks were almost faded away and barely visible.

'_You're such a fucking dumbass, Satoshi.'_

He had to chuckle a little. If he could hear him right now, he'd probably tell Satoshi the same thing. He felt himself tearing up a little as he laughed at their own stupidity. They were so carefree back then. Who knew that one day alone could turn everything around, just like that?

He turned back to Satoshi. His friend was still merely staring through the window. He really just wanted to do something to make him feel better. Anything. He walked up to him and gently placed his hand on his shoulder.

"C'mon man, get a grip… I know it's tough, but you can't just give up on life like this because I'm not around. I swear, you really are such a fucking dumbass sometimes…"

Suddenly Satoshi turned his head into his direction. The fact that his eyes were a bit red caught Yoshiki by surprise. He wasn't doing something dumb like reminiscing over good old times and crying over him, was he?

He wasn't the only one caught by surprise. At the sudden movement the teacher lifted his gaze from the poem he was reading as well.

"Mochida? Is something wrong?"

"No, I… it's nothing."

"Then focus please. The lesson isn't over yet."

Satoshi turned his head back to his textbook. But Yoshiki could tell he flashed a weak smile, just before he turned the page.

It wasn't much, but it was worth it. It made Yoshiki smile a little too.

* * *

**A.N.:** This is it for this chapter.  
I'm sincerely sorry about the length of the author note at the beginning, but I really like to respond properly to everyone who took their time to review. I don't know how long this glitch in the review system is going to last for, but for as long as it does, I'll respond to my reviewers in the beginning author's notes. Hopefully it gets fixed as soon as possible.  
I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and I hope to see you all again in the next one.  
_- Jody14_


	3. Unheard Whispers

**A.N.:** It seems the reviews are back to normal. I'll now start responding via personal messages again. For anyone who commented on the first chapter and is worried that their review didn't make it through – don't worry, they all showed up (and I'm really glad that they did).

Also a big 'thank you' to everyone who reviewed on the second chapter as well – you guys are the best. :)

On with the story.

* * *

3. Unheard Whispers

Ayumi was fuming during the break. Yoshiki knew she was going to give him hell. The 'we-need-to-talk-right-now' look she was flashing in his direction made this especially clear. He sighed and jumped off his table he was sitting on for the remaining part of the lecture, just being bored to death. He didn't like to attend lectures too much in his lifetime, and that surely wasn't going to change anytime soon. He followed their fuming class rep out of the classroom to the most secluded place she could find.

"Kishinuma, would you _please_ show some restraint?"

"What are you trying to say?"

"It's bad enough that we have four spirits in this school that need crossing over, you can't just walk around the classroom and bother Mochida-kun during the lecture!"

Yoshiki frowned.

"Oh come on, Shinozaki, he was obviously _depressed_!"

Ayumi rubbed her temples.

"No one _knows_ you're _here_, Kishinuma. Get that through that _thick skull_ of yours already!"

"Hey, let's be fair here! By letting everyone else cross over you probably mean you'll let them say their goodbyes at least! So everyone else but me gets to say goodbye? I just don't want him to be so depressed about me dying, that's all. Is that so bad?"

Ayumi clenched her teeth.

"That's why I told him to _wait after school_, you _idiot_!"

She sighed.

"Look, I know you want to help him. I really do. I want him to get better too, you know? But… it's just going to make it worse if you constantly fret over him during the lectures. He could tell someone was around back then when he turned around to look at you. Please, can you just… wait until the lectures are over and I'm done talking to the rest of them… and then you can have all the time you want to properly say goodbye to him. Please?"

He ran his hand through his hair. He wasn't sure he could make that promise. Satoshi was his best friend after all, and he didn't want him to do something stupid in the state he was in, but…

"Okay, okay, fine, I won't bother him anymore."

"Good."

"Hey, what are you guys arguing over again? You're like an old married couple!"

"Oh for god's sake!"

Ayumi rolled her eyes and turned around.

"Shinohara, can you _please_ stay out of this?"

She said it without really realising what she was doing. As soon as she realised that Seiko's spirit crept up behind her she squealed and tried to hide behind Yoshiki, expecting at least some accusations, if not malice from her deceased friend. Seiko didn't do anything of the sorts.

"Well, well, Ayumi-chan… I didn't know you two were such lovebirds. Congrats, Kishinuma. So you finally got your heart's desire?"

Her eyes were skipping between Yoshiki and Ayumi. Her mischievous smile stretching all the way across her face was already foreshadowing the great amount of rumours that would surely have spread all around the school like wildfire, if she were still alive. Yoshiki just blushed again, and Ayumi started to fidget.

"I…it's not like that!"

"Don't you know, Kishinuma-kun? Denial just proves it. Besides, pretty much _everyone_ knows you totally have a thing for our Ayumi-chan!"

Seiko just giggled in response.

"You know I'm right, Kishinuma-kun. I'm always right. Hey, hey, Ayumi-chan, you think he's handsome too, don't you?"

Ayumi just buried her face in her hands in embarrassment.

"Enough, just… stop it, both of you!"

"All jokes aside…"

Seiko's grin finally disappeared.

"Ayumi-chan, Naomi has been ignoring me lately. Did I do something wrong? She seems super down these days too. What's going on? Does she need some space or something?"

Ayumi sighed. She knew she had to explain it to her. Knowing how close Seiko was to Naomi, she was probably worried sick behind the strong front she was putting up.

"Shinohara… you died, remember? In Heavenly Host…"

"Eh?"

She was confused by her statement. She didn't seem to remember either.

"In truth… Kishinuma-kun and I aren't really together because… because he died too…"

Seiko didn't respond for a while. Then it all suddenly came back to her, and she started bawling her eyes out.

"Oh God… poor Naomi! Poor Yuu! What am I gonna do, I want to know if they're okay! I need to talk to Naomi, I need to…"

"Shinohara… I'm so sorry… _I'm so very sorry_…"

Ayumi started to sob too. She knew she promised to herself that she'll help her friends cross over, but maybe this will be more than she can handle. Seiko somehow managed to wipe her tears after seeing Ayumi break down in front of her. She cared about all of her friends. Despite the fact that she wasn't as close to Ayumi as she was to Naomi, she still didn't want to see the class rep cry. It tickled her motherly side she developed after taking care of her younger siblings for so long. She tried her hardest to put on one of her bright smiles, walked up to her, hugged her and patted her head.

"There, there, Ayumi-chan. There's no need to apologize… You didn't do anything wrong…"

"But…"

"Hey, hey, no buts. There was nothing you could do. I bet you tried your best to get everyone out. I've seen you've been trying really hard to be strong at school. I thought it was a bit weird that you didn't smile anymore. It makes a lot more sense now. I know you're the kind of person who always tries to take on all the responsibility, but there's only so much you can take, you know?"

Ayumi had to smile. Seiko always managed to lift everybody's spirits. She always managed to make everyone feel so much better, even after death. She owed her one. And she knew exactly how to do it.

"Hey, Shinohara… at about half past three… could you be somewhere around girls' bathrooms? I know you and Nakashima always met up there before going out after school, so…"

"Teehee…"

Seiko giggled.

"Are you planning something, Ayumi-chan?"

"Maybe. But I need both, you and Nakashima to be there."

Seiko flashed her a victory sign.

"If you promise me Naomi's beautiful booty to be there, I have no objections whatsoever. See you around at half past three!"

And she ran off, free spirit that she was.

"She… wasn't angry at me in the slightest…"

Yoshiki sighed.

"Of course not. We've been over this a couple of times already, Ayumi. Why would they be angry with you, when you haven't done anything wrong?"

"I thought for sure that they would be, but…"

She took a deep breath.

"I have to thank you for coming with me, Yoshiki. If I didn't get angry with you earlier I wouldn't have snapped at Shinohara without thinking… I never would've dared establishing a conversation with her if I was thinking straight."

Yoshiki rubbed the back of his head and frowned.

"You know, you make it sound like it's a good thing when you say it that way. I still feel kinda offended."

She chuckled.

"I'm sorry. I really shouldn't have snapped at you like this either. I know you were just trying to help him, but…"

He sighed.

"You know, that's your problem. You're always overthinking everything. Just… calm down, Ayumi. You knew they were your friends. They were never angry with you in their life, if they could help it. So why would that change now?"

"You really don't get how malevolent spirits work, do you?"

"Can't you tell which ones are malevolent?"

She didn't respond to that for a while.

"Of course I _can_ tell which ones are malevolent. But I didn't know how they'd react if _I_ was the one to talk to them. I was afraid they'd only react with hatred towards _me_. Sometimes coming in contact with people they hate reminds them of their grudges, and they change. Besides, none of them even know they're dead. What am I supposed to do, walk up to them and say something like 'Hey, how are you? Oh, by the way, you died last week.' It doesn't work that way."

"No. I'm sure it doesn't, but…"

He leaned on the wall.

"So what do we do?"

"We wait, until the lectures are over. I wanted to start with Ms. Yui, right after homeroom class. Then, I thought I'd help Shinohara move on, and after that we need to wait for the drama club's practice, when Suzumoto and Morishige show up. And after that… after that you talk to Satoshi. I think that would be enough to appease all of you, and…"

She sighed.

"And then you'd all be able to move on."

She knew this will be difficult. For one thing she'll have to see her friends say their goodbyes to one another. It'll be bad enough to see them all cry and get all emotional. But knowing that Yoshiki will disappear immediately after he and Satoshi say their goodbyes was even worse. After that it'll be over forever. She'll never see his stupid smile again at school. The day before the cultural festival will forever be the last day he barged in on a lesson, being late yet again. The days of her scolding him for not doing his homework properly were gone forever.

Without even noticing she started to tear up again.

"Hey…"

He patted her head again, like he usually did when she cried in front of him.

"Can you promise me to smile until the end, Ayumi? You're the only one that can do this. They're counting on you, and I believe in you. Just be strong. There's no need to cry. You want them all to be happy, right?"

"Y…Yeah. Never mind me. I was just… I was just thinking about something."

Yoshiki chuckled in response.

"Well don't overthink it again, okay? It'll be fine. If anyone can do it, it's you."

Ayumi wiped away her tears.

"Thanks."

"Come on. The break's almost over, and I know how much you hate to be late for class."

She puffed up her cheeks.

"And I know how much you _don't care_ about being late for class. Don't say it like it's weird if someone actually wants to attend lectures."

She stormed off, seemingly still angry with him. But when he wasn't looking she allowed herself to smile.

He was so stupid, that Kishinuma-kun. But she loved him anyway.

* * *

Yoshiki rolled his eyes, supporting his head with his hand. The lectures just kept going on and on. It was so _boring_. Well, at least this was the last break before their homeroom class. He wouldn't be paying much attention to it anyway, since Ms. Yui wasn't the one running it anymore.

He looked over to Ayumi, who was talking to Nakashima. She was probably trying to convince her that she needed to be in front of girls' bathrooms at half past three. She'd be pretty angry with him if he bothered her now.

He stretched his legs, more out of habit. It's not like he had muscles to stretch now. He threw a quick glance Satoshi's way. He seemed to be doing better than he was during the first period. He still didn't talk much to anyone, but at least he didn't seem that sad anymore.

He noticed Ayumi returning to her seat. She sent a short but meaningful glance his way. He sighed, got up and followed her to her desk. She sat down and opened her notebook.

"What's up?"

She pulled out her pencil and quickly wrote something down.

'_During homeroom, I need you to act like you normally would. Ms. Yui doesn't know that she's dead, but since she's a spirit she can still see you unlike the rest of them. At least pretend you're paying attention, and don't walk around the classroom like it's nobody's business this time.'_

"Okay, okay I won't, I promise."

He noticed that she was biting her lip. For a second she didn't respond. Then she started scribbling again.

'_I'm nervous.' _

"There's no need to be. I'm sure you'll do great. Just stay calm. I'll be with you, I promise."

She took a deep breath, then scribbled something down again. When she moved away so he could read it, he was surprised to see a single word.

'_Thanks.'_

He laughed.

"You're welcome. So I guess it's best if I get back? Homeroom's about to start."

She gave a slight nod in response. Before he left her to her own thoughts he gently patted her head again.

"Just remember what we talked about before. Don't panic, and you'll be fine. And besides, I'm sure you'll be more confident in what you can do after you do it for the first time."

She gave a slight nod again, but Yoshiki wasn't convinced. Her hands were shaking. She better keep it together, or this might turn against her. He didn't know a thing about exorcism. But he had a bad feeling that things may go wrong, if she doesn't have faith in herself. He couldn't do a thing about it, though. He couldn't suddenly change the way Ayumi felt about her abilities. She had to fight her inner demons and win on her own.

He walked back to his desk, sighed and sat down. This lesson is going to be such a bore. He'll have to spend full forty-five minutes pretending that he actually cares about what the homeroom teacher is talking about. He leaned his head on the desk's surface. If he could only sleep through all of this, like he usually would.

As soon as the door opened he raised his head again. Matsudo-sensei walked in. Yoshiki never really liked him. Then someone else entered the classroom. Ms. Yui followed Matsudo-sensei through the door. Yoshiki had to smile. She was the only one who ever gave him a chance, and was pretty much the only teacher he could get along with in this damn school, when he was still alive. She deserved better than to be stuck here. She noticed he was looking at her. She smiled and waved her hand. He shyly raised his hand in response as well. It's been a while since he last saw her.

Homeroom started, and just like he predicted it was boring as hell. Clock ticked away slowly. Thirty more minutes. It felt like eternity. He missed 's light-hearted jokes that made homeroom bearable, if not even fun.

Twenty minutes. He had to try really hard not to yawn. Keeping his eyes open proved more difficult than he ever thought it could be. Matsudo-sensei was really putting him to sleep with his monotone voice.

Fifteen minutes left. How much slower can the damn clock move?

"Kishinuma!"

He jumped up.

"Yes?"

Didn't Ayumi say no one else could see him? What just happened?

Then it suddenly all became crystal clear. Ms. Yui was standing in front of his desk, giving him as stern a look as she was capable of, being one of the kindest teachers in school.

"Just what exactly do you think you're doing sleeping during homeroom, Kishinuma?"

"I... um… I'm sorry. It won't happen again."

He sat down, wide awake. His eyes glanced to Ayumi. She seemed to be supporting her head with her hand placed on her forehead. But Yoshiki knew full well that she wasn't doing it because she was tired.

She was face-palming.

Usually when he got caught sleeping in class when he was alive, she'd pound her little fists on his chest after the class was over. She'd yell at him that he's such a _delinquent_, and that he was constantly making _her look bad _as a class representative, and that he's _doing it on purpose_. It wasn't that her punches hurt. His pride hurt a little, but it wasn't like he wasn't willing to swallow his pride for Ayumi's sake. What hurt the most was the fact that she thought he was intentionally slandering her name after she tried so hard to change him. So right now, he was actually glad he was dead for once.

His eyes glanced to the clock.

Five minutes were left.

Damn it all to hell. And he tried so hard too.

The last five minutes dragged all the same, but in the end he finally got saved by the bell. He sighed and got up with the rest of the students. He waited for the crowd to disappear through the door. Ayumi fiddled with the buckles on her bag, pretending that she had a hard time closing it. She wanted to stay behind unnoticed. Fortunately Matsudo-sensei didn't care if she had anything to ask of him and disappeared through the door. Ayumi sighed. People were neglecting their clean-up duties again. Not that it mattered. She'll take care of it. But only after she helps Ms. Yui pass on.

She sensed Yoshiki standing by her side again.

"I'm sorry…"

"We'll talk about it later."

She coldly shut him down. She wasn't in the mood right now. After everyone disappeared, she picked up her bag and walked over to Ms. Yui, who stared at the scribble-covered blackboard. She silently sighed.

"Jeez, no one even cleans the blackboard anymore…"

"Ms. Yui?"

She turned around and gave a soft smile.

"Well, if it isn't Shinozaki. You haven't talked to me for a while. Is something wrong?"

"N…no. It's nothing like that. I'm doing fine."

Yoshiki stayed back while Ayumi was talking to Ms. Yui. He really didn't want to bother her. Ms. Yui looked up and smiled at him, however.

"It's rare to see you stay behind, Kishinuma. Usually you're the first to leave the classroom when the bell rings."

"I… um… I'm just waiting for Shinozaki."

Crap. That was close.

"You've been absent from school for a week, too… no one told me what happened. Were you sick?"

Ayumi gave him a frightened look. What is he to do now? For a week he's been stuck haunting her room, so naturally it'd be suspicious if he suddenly shows up at school.

"Y…Yeah, something like that."

"You really have to let your teachers know when you're sick, Kishinuma. You made me worry about you quite a bit. Speaking of which, I haven't seen Morishige around either… I sometimes see Shinohara running around the hallways, but she never comes to homeroom anymore… I hope she didn't suddenly take to skipping classes…"

Ms. Yui sighed again and then looked up at Ayumi, who was obviously averting her eyes.

"You… you know something, don't you, Shinozaki? I can tell you're bothered by something."

Ayumi sobbed, dropped her bag and buried her face in her hands. Ms. Yui offered her one of her gentle encouraging smiles and gently led her to her desk.

"It's okay, Shinozaki. There's no need to cry. Come on, just… sit down, calm yourself a little and tell me what's bothering you."

Yoshiki clenched his fists.

'_Come on, Ayumi, get your game together.'_

"I… um…"

He sighed. This wasn't working. Ms. Yui looked up at him.

"Kishinuma, do you know something about this per chance?"

"Well… you see… something bad happened."

Ms. Yui gently hugged Ayumi and rubbed her back. Ayumi silently sniffled. She seemed to be calming down.

"Just how bad is it, Kishinuma?"

"Pretty bad."

"Does it have anything to do with me?"

Yoshiki and Ayumi shared a meaningful look. Ms. Yui sighed.

"You know… I can tell when you two are hiding things. You may not be my children, but I love you all the same and I can see when you're plotting something."

Ayumi got up and made a step back. She took a deep breath and wiped away her tears. Yoshiki was relieved to see that her eyes were calm and collected when she moved her hand aside.

"Ms. Yui… I need to tell you something really important."

"I'm listening."

"You aren't supposed to be here. You died a week ago."

She didn't react with anger, or defiance, or even surprise. She just calmly turned her head to look through the window.

"I somehow knew that."

"Y… you did?"

"Well no… not really."

She turned back to look at Ayumi.

"I had my suspicions. No one was paying attention to me in class. It was as if I didn't exist. So I figured something must be wrong with me."

She slowly stood up.

"I… understand in a way why Shinozaki can see me. Her sister is a renowned psychic, after all. It's no surprise that she has the ability to see spirits as well. But that doesn't explain why is it that you can see me too, Kishinuma. Could it be that…"

"Yeah. I'm the same. I… I died too."

Ms. Yui made a step back.

"I'm… I'm so sorry, Kishinuma. I can remember a little bit now… we were… in that school, weren't we? I promised I'd protect you all, and yet…"

"There was nothing you could've done, Ms. Yui."

She took a deep breath.

"How many made it back?"

"Four. Shinozaki, Satoshi, Yuka and Nakashima."

"I see…"

She let out a sigh of relief.

"I'm glad at least some of you made it. I'd be much happier if all of you did though."

She turned her head to look through the window again.

"I wish I could change it, and bring you all out safely… but I guess that's why it's called the past, after all. It can't be changed, no matter how hard we wish for it…"

She looked back at them.

"That means Shinohara is a spirit as well, and she's stuck here just like I am…"

Ayumi lowered her head.

"Y…yes… and so are Morishige and Suzumoto… They appear in the drama club's classroom during club activities…"

"You've been thinking about this, Shinozaki…"

"Yeah. I… I want to help them all pass on. It's not fair for them to be stuck here. Kishinuma-kun too…"

"I see."

Ms. Yui smiled.

"You've always been a very kind girl, Shinozaki. Very gifted too, in more ways than one. If you can promise me to help them all, that's good enough for me. If I couldn't save them, I'd at least like to see them put to rest. But even that's beyond my abilities. I put my faith in you, Shinozaki. If anyone can do it, you can."

Ayumi started to tear up again. Ms. Yui was starting to disappear. She felt like sobbing and crying out for her not to go, but she knew it was for the best. So she kept up a strong front the best way she could. Ms. Yui only had a short while, before she disappeared forever. In the end, Yoshiki was right. They all just wanted to see her smile until the end.

"Stay strong, Shinozaki. You have a gift. Don't let it waste away. Put it to good use to help them. I trust you'll do perfectly, just like you excelled in everything you put your mind to, right in front of my eyes before. Oh, and Kishinuma…"

Yoshiki looked up as well.

"Yeah?"

Ms. Yui gave him a gentle encouraging smile.

"Take care of her, Kishinuma. She may look strong, but she needs you."

"Always."

He felt familiar stinging in the corners of his eyes. Was he about to cry too? Damn it, and he kept telling Ayumi to be strong. But then again, this was Ms. Yui, disappearing in front of him.

Ms. Yui gave them one last smile, before she walked through the door.

"I'll leave it in your hands, you two. Stay strong, and don't ever forget – I love you all."

As soon as her feet crossed the sill she was gone. Ayumi buried her face in her hands and quietly sobbed for a couple of minutes. Yoshiki gently placed his hand on top of her head. He had a small idea of how tough this'll be. He thought he'd be ready. But he wasn't prepared for it at all. And it must be twice as hard on her. He couldn't demand of her not to grieve. That'd be just beyond cruel.

After a while she calmed down and wiped her tears away. Her eyes were still red and cheeks still puffy. She sniffled and picked up her bag.

"That's one down."

"You were amazing, Ayumi."

She didn't respond for a while. She took a couple of minutes to clean up the mess left behind by her careless classmates. Then she slowly walked out the door.

"Let's go. It's twenty past three. I don't want to be late for Shinohara and Nakashima."

"Right."

He followed her out of the classroom. Just before she continued down the hallway she frowned a little.

"I still haven't forgotten about you falling asleep during homeroom, you know?"

Crap.

"I'm sorry, really. I didn't mean to, but Matsudo-sensei was just so boring and…"

She just chuckled at his nervous apologies.

"I'll forgive you, if you hold my hand. You _are_ my boyfriend today after all. I have to let you off the hook once in a while."

* * *

**A.N.:** This chapter is a little bit longer, but I enjoyed writing it very much, so I hope you enjoyed reading as well. I made sure to put in some Seiko light-heartedness, and Yoshiki's classroom shenanigans to distance a little bit from the sad tone of it all – I'm told this makes a lot of people tear up or even cry. In a way, I'm glad it did because that means I managed to properly convey the feeling of this story to you guys. But I can't make you all constantly cry, so a little bit more light-heartedness in this one, but hopefully I didn't cross the line with it and it still fits in with the rest of the story nicely. Sadly, I'm not very good with easy-going happy-go-lucky scenes, but I hope it at least makes you guys smile a little. Since they still have three more spirits plus Yoshiki left to appease, and since this one is longer compared to the rest, I decided to split this chapter into two, so now I predict this will be about five chapters long. See you all next time, and hope you enjoy reading.

Jody14


	4. Friends

Hi, everyone.  
I'm so sorry for the lack of updates on this fanfic. It's been quite a while. After the exams more and more things started piling up, the chapter was long, I had a little bit of trouble writing some parts of it, and I kept constantly proof-reading it for any mistakes. So, I hope I can now bring you the fourth chapter of this fanfic, without any typos or grammar mistakes. Some things were also changed in consideration of some readers' comments.

Rest assured, the last chapter is almost ready. It shouldn't take me so long to update it.

* * *

_4. Friends_

Ayumi was leaning on the wall nearby girl's bathrooms. Just like before, Yoshiki was right by her side. She didn't really want to admit it to him out loud, but he was right. After helping Ms. Yui cross over, she felt a lot more confident and she wasn't constantly shivering anymore.

Nakashima wasn't here yet. She checked the clock. They were a little early.

Yoshiki carefully watched her. She seemed different, after they walked down the hallway together. She was calmer, and more focused. His fingers, or rather soft blue particles that were now left of them, were still entangled with hers. He reassuringly squeezed her hand. Not that she needed support. She felt his small act of affection and looked up at him. She smiled. It was a weak and tired smile, but it was a smile nonetheless. He was glad to see her smile again after such a long while.

"Class rep!"

They both turned their heads. Naomi came rushing around the corner. Yoshiki had to hold back a chuckle when he saw Ayumi frown. Good old Ayumi. Running in the hallways was against the rules, and she'd always point it out to her classmates. He was glad to still see the traces of her usual self. But he also knew she was going to let it slide this time. This wasn't the reason she called Nakashima here for.

"I'm so sorry I'm late, class rep…"

Naomi had to take a breather after she reached them.

"So, you said you wanted to meet me here. What for?"

"Someone wants to see you very much, Nakashima."

Ayumi looked back at the clock. It was three thirty-five. She was becoming slightly anxious again. She better be here soon.

"Huh? Who is it?"

"She's late…"

Ayumi sighed.

"That's just like her…"

Suddenly a pair of transparent hands appeared from behind Naomi and grabbed onto Naomi's chest. Naomi shivered at the sudden cold and wrapped her arms around her body. Both, Yoshiki and Ayumi just face-palmed.

"Daaamn, I can't touch Naomi's boobs anymore. Being dead really sucks."

"Aaaand she's here."

"Huh?"

Naomi looked around.

"You're joking, aren't you class rep? There's no one but the two of us here."

"No. You're wrong, Nakashima."

Naomi stared at Ayumi in confusion.

"There are two more people standing right beside us. But you can't see them."

"Two more?"

Naomi looked around again in vain.

"Yeah. Kishinuma-kun is standing right beside me. And there's someone standing right beside you too."

"Kishinuma is?"

Naomi's eyes carefully scanned the air around Ayumi, but just like before she couldn't see anyone.

"Class rep… is Kishinuma really there with you?"

"What's wrong, Nakashima? Don't believe what I'm saying, after the things we've both seen?"

"No, no, that's not it… "

Naomi nervously started to fidget. She didn't often argue with Ayumi Shinozaki. But whenever they got into a serious argument, she suddenly got this bad feeling. As if there was some unnatural aura surrounding their class representative, whenever she got angry.

"Come on, Nakashima. Hold out your hand."

Naomi nervously put out her hand. Ayumi gave Yoshiki a saddened look.

"Can you take her hand, Kishinuma-kun? Please?"

Yoshiki sighed and nodded. He slowly took hold of Naomi's hand, and she shivered.

"Did you feel that? That cold you felt just now was him holding your hand."

"Okay, okay, I believe you!"

Naomi panicked and pulled her hand away.

"So… you said someone wanted to talk to me. Who is it?"

Ayumi smiled.

"I'm pretty sure you already know."

Seiko giggled.

"Jeez, Naomi… Don't look so down, it really doesn't suit your pretty face."

"Is it…"

Naomi turned her head to look over her shoulder.

"Yeah. Shinohara's here to see you."

Naomi's eyes started to tear up.

"Where is she, class rep? Please tell me, I can't see her!"

"Calm down, Nakashima."

Ayumi's eyes were determined. She was ready for this now. Ms. Yui and Yoshiki were both counting on her. Just like her sister she had the ability to see the spirits, and it was her responsibility to help them.

"Hold out your hand, just like before."

Naomi obediently reached out her hand. She was shaking.

"Shinohara, you're up. Take Nakashima's hand."

Seiko chuckled, and then instead of taking hold of her best friend's hand placed her hands on her chest again. Ayumi frowned.

"Shinohara, get serious. I said her hand, not her chest."

Naomi chuckled through tears. That sounded exactly like Seiko. And she did in fact feel something cold on her chest.

"Sorry, sorry. I guess I got carried away a little."

"Well you're here to say goodbye, not to play around."

Seiko's playful smile disappeared from her lips.

"Yeah. You're right."

She slowly took hold of Naomi's hand. Naomi closed her eyes, just trying to imagine her best friend standing in front of her with her silly grin on her face.

"Ayumi-chan… I have some things I need to say to her. Will you tell her for me?"

Ayumi nodded.

"I will."

"You have to tell her, that she was a very special person to me. I teased her a lot, and even though she sometimes gave me a punch or two for it, I still had loads of fun. I enjoyed her company very much, and she was the best friend I could ask for."

Ayumi started to tear up a little. She knew Seiko's message was going to be emotional, and thus hard to convey. But she was determined to do it properly.

"She was always there when I needed her, and she always kept me grounded, when I had my head in the clouds. I… I loved her so very much, and I still do. Also tell her that it wasn't her fault. She couldn't do a thing about it. She was going through the darkening. Tell her to stop blaming herself for it. There's nothing for me to forgive. I told her many many times before, but I can tell sometimes she still thinks about what she could've done to prevent it."

Ayumi looked up at Naomi, surprised. What happened between the two? She didn't understand what Seiko was saying. What wasn't Naomi's fault?

She suddenly felt that they had a connection they didn't have before. Before Heavenly Host she just saw Naomi as a rival for Satoshi's love. But now, when that was out of the way, when she didn't want Satoshi anymore, she could sense that Naomi had her own demons to fight. All this time she thought she was the only one who had her burdens and guilt to bear. How selfish of her. For some reason, Naomi now felt just as much guilt.

She decided that it's not up to her to know what happened between Seiko and Naomi. She was only here to convey the message.

"Oh yeah, and tell her she should reeeally get on with her Mochi already. They're already close enough, but it seems like he doesn't have the guts to actually ask her out, so she should really take the lead on this one."

Seiko giggled. Ayumi smiled through tears that were streaming down her face now. Naomi stared at her, saddened, confused and unsure of what to do.

"Class rep, I…"

"Don't worry. I'm okay."

Ayumi wiped her tears away with the back of her hand. Then she conveyed the message perfectly, word for word. She still felt Yoshiki's hand holding her own. It made her feel calm and secure. She could do this. Naomi started to tear up again as well, as Ayumi continued conveying Seiko's goodbye. By the time Ayumi was finished, tears were streaming down her face as well.

"Seiko, I…"

Seiko hugged her best friend. Naomi didn't care about the cold. She was too busy sobbing and trying to wipe away the tears that just kept coming.

"I'm so sorry, Seiko… I love you too, I love you so much!"

"You'll be fine without me, Naomi. Don't be sad. You have your Mochi to take care of you."

With that Seiko let Naomi go, and pressed her lips onto Naomi's. Ayumi blushed and looked away, to not disturb them. Because of the sudden movement on her right, she could tell Yoshiki had a similar reaction. Neither of them knew Seiko liked Naomi in that way. She was constantly harassing her, sure, but no one ever thought of it being more than just Seiko's playfulness.

"Well…"

Ayumi looked up. Seiko finally pulled away from Naomi.

"I'd really love to stay and continue chatting. But I think it's time for me to go. There's a TV show I need to catch at four, and I better reach wherever I'm going before that. See you guys around. Oh, and Kishinuma-kun?"

Yoshiki looked up at her as well.

"Yeah?"

Seiko had to stand up on her toes to reach his ear, and then whispered something to him. He immediately blushed.

"C… come on, Shinohara! You know that's impossible."

Seiko just giggled, while Ayumi looked from one to the other in suspicion. She was really curious as to what she told Yoshiki.

"Just try. Bet it'll work. Now see you guys around."

She ran off, and as she took off running down the hallway she slowly started to disappear with each step. By the time she reached the end of it she was almost completely transparent, and then when she made a turn around the corner she was gone. Ayumi turned to Naomi, who was still crying.

"It's over, Nakashima. She's gone."

Naomi buried her face in her hands and kept crying. Ayumi slowly made a step back. There was nothing more that she could do. Naomi had to move on by herself, and she had to leave her to mourn in peace. Her presence would just make everything worse now.

"Let's go, Yoshiki. There's still something we have to do, right?"

"Yeah. Let's move."

As Ayumi turned around to walk away, Naomi reached for her hand and caught her wrist. Ayumi turned back, surprised at her classmate's actions.

"Class rep… thank you… thank you so much for letting me talk to her one last time…"

Tears were still streaming down her cheeks, but she was smiling now. Ayumi offered her as kind a smile as she could manage herself.

"Don't mention it."

She walked away, Yoshiki following close behind.

* * *

"This is the first and the last time you'll ever see me do this…"

Ayumi frowned as she finished putting up a piece of paper on the drama club's door.

After successfully helping Seiko move on, they made their way to the drama club's classroom. The club activities weren't in progress until five o'clock, so they still had some time to kill. At that point Ayumi realised that there was no way she could talk to Morishige and Suzumoto in front of other club members, and she had no plan to get the rest of them out of the way. She was just about to go into one of her panic attacks, when Yoshiki suggested putting up a note saying that drama club's activities will be executed elsewhere. At first, Ayumi pouted at the idea, but since she had no better idea that didn't involve cancelling the club activities for the day altogether or causing unnecessary drama, she decided she'll go with his suggestion.

"You know, it's for a good cause at least."

"Well, cause doesn't always justify the means."

She still pretended to be insulted by the mere thought of her being capable of abusing her authority as the class president, but honestly she was just glad he was still with her. She never would've gotten this far without him by her side.

After putting up the note she sat down on the nearby bench and waited. Clock's hands were moving so slowly, and the closer they got to five o' clock, the slower they seemed. Yoshiki just sat down next to her, and they waited in silence. She wasn't the only one that wasn't in the mood to talk right now. He was nervous as well, and that didn't happen often. He couldn't exactly put a finger on it, but the closer the clock's hands were to five, the more on edge he was. He could only describe the feeling as 'fear'.

Drama club members started to show up one by one. Each one of them groaned in disappointment when they saw the note, but after some complaining they eventually went on their merry way towards the classroom Ayumi assigned.

They waited until ten past five, just in case there were any latecomers. After they were sure no one else was going to show up, Yoshiki got up.

"Ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be, I guess."

She got up as well and slowly placed her hand on the handle. The moment she did so she felt chills going down her spine. She heard Mayu giggling on the other side.

"And I can come up with some costumes, Shige-nii. Let's make it a great play."

Ayumi took a deep breath and pushed the door open. Yoshiki followed her closely. The moment they walked in, the two spirits looked up. Yoshiki shivered at the look Morishige was giving them.

"Well, if it isn't the class rep."

The coldness in his voice made Yoshiki's hair stand on end.

"What would you be doing in this place? And where is everyone else from the drama club?"

Ayumi was shivering as well, but she managed to pull herself together enough to still seem confident.

"I put up a note to make them go to a different classroom."

Mayu remained quiet, sitting on one of the desks. Morishige's eyes slowly narrowed.

"Why would you do that?"

"There's something I need to tell you two."

Morishige's smile widened. Yoshiki didn't really like the way this conversation was going. Static was in the air, and for a second when Morishige's apparition shivered he thought he saw some red particles mixed in with the soft blue light. Ayumi seemed to sense it as well and made a step back.

"What is it that you have to tell us, class rep? Did you come say that you're sorry that we're dead?"

So they knew. Yoshiki protectively stepped closer to Ayumi. He took her hand and gently squeezed it, trying to keep her calm. She got the message and took a deep breath again.

"You're not supposed to be here, Morishige."

"Neither are you. Why did you think you should be allowed to live, when Mayu died because of your stupid charms?"

Yoshiki clenched his teeth. His eyes jumped to Mayu for a split second. She was just sitting down on her desk and looking at the ground with a thoughtful expression on her face.

"Don't do this, Morishige… It's not her fault."

Morishige let out a chuckle.

"Not her fault? Count on her knight to come running to save her. You're dead too, aren't you, Kishinuma? You're dead because she send us all into hell, remember? Just admit it to yourself, your love for her is blinding you. And she's been using your feelings for her the whole time you were trapped in there, I bet. She cried for you to save her, she gave you some false hope that you keep clinging to, but as soon as you're gone she'll forget about you. She always did. Why do you think it'll be any different this time? Why do you keep protecting her?"

Yoshiki shot a worried look over to Ayumi. She wasn't saying a thing in her defence. Tears were streaming down her face in silence. Yoshiki's teeth clenched.

"You have _no right_ to say things like that."

"I have _every_ right. Her actions killed us all."

"That doesn't give you the right to accuse her of murder. She also tried her best to find a way out and save us. And…"

He smiled.

"…and maybe she didn't love me, but I still believed in her. I always will."

Ayumi looked up at him, still crying silently. Her heart felt like it was going to break in half. He didn't need to keep standing up for her like this. Every word Morishige said was true.

"Have it your way then… Mayu and I aren't planning on going anywhere, so I'll just have to get rid of you both!"

As Morishige charged at Ayumi his apparition flashed in a bright red colour. Yoshiki had just enough time to jump in front of her. Just before the impact he heard her scream his name. The blow was powerful enough and he probably would've been knocked back if he were alive, but somehow he managed to stay on his feet. He slowly opened his eyes.

There was a barrier between the two of them. When he looked up at Morishige, his classmate's face was twisted into a horrifying mask of malice. This wasn't the Morishige he knew.

Suddenly his heart skipped a beat.

He was fading away. He was growing weaker. The barrier holding back Morishige's raised fist was starting to crack.

"Ayumi!"

She was too scared to move. At this rate he'll disappear. She had to snap out of it.

"Ayumi, you have to exorcise him!"

She was paralyzed with fear. She had to move and do something. He saved her so many times. She had to return the favour. She couldn't just watch him disappear in front of her. She promised she'd let him talk to Satoshi after this was over. Her teeth clenched.

"Yoshiki, move!"

The barrier shattered. Yoshiki closed his eyes and just expected to be gone by the time he opens them again. Then he felt something pass through him. It took him a second or two, before he dared open his eyes to see what happened. Ayumi was standing between him and Morishige with her arms spread wide. His fist was going straight through her chest. She wasn't moving.

"Ayumi?"

He got no response from her.

"Ayumi?"

She fell down backwards. He reflexively reached for her to break her fall. She passed right through him and landed on the floor.

"Ayumi!"

He jumped to his feet. Her eyes were closed. She was pale. But the most worrisome was a stream of blood flowing from her nose. He was shaking all over.

"No…"

Morishige didn't say a thing. He seemed to be in shock himself. He didn't expect Ayumi to jump in and try to save Yoshiki.

"Ayumi… Ayumi please, wake up… you're scaring me…"

Yoshiki fell to his knees next to her.

"Ayumi…"

Her breathing was shallow and uneven. Yoshiki had no idea what to do whatsoever. She was going to die, and he couldn't do a thing about it.

"Why… why did she jump in front of you like this?"

Yoshiki felt a chill go down his spine when he heard Morishige's voice again.

"Why was she trying to protect you? Any other time she would've just let you die if it could save her. So why did she save you this time?"

He was about to break. He knew he won't be able to hold the tears back for much longer.

"She did it because she _loved_ me, you moron… Who gives you the right to decide what she thinks and feels? She didn't deserve this shit!"

Morishige slowly reached his hand to place it on her forehead. Yoshiki didn't even need to think. Before Morishige could do anything he violently slapped his hand away and hissed.

"Don't you _fucking_ touch her, you bastard…"

"She's going to die if you don't do something."

"Like hell I'm letting _you_ anywhere near her!"

"That's enough!"

They both turned around. Mayu was standing right behind them.

"Both of you, move."

Neither Yoshiki nor Morishige said a word. They've never seen Mayu so serious before.

"Mayu, I…"

"Shige-nii, you've gone too far… You've said some really mean things to Shinozaki…"

"I… I know, Mayu, but…"

"You'll have to apologize, Shige-nii. I understand you were angry, and you acted without thinking. But you're not the type of person who would hurt others intentionally. This wasn't like you. Shinozaki didn't deserve this."

Morishige didn't respond for a short while. Then he slowly spoke up again.

"What about you? How do you feel about being dead, when… when she's still alive?"

Mayu smiled.

"I'm just happy she's alright. She was a good friend of mine. She wouldn't do something to hurt me intentionally. My death wasn't her fault, and it wasn't her intention either. She performed that charm hoping to cheer me up, not hoping I'd disappear. She did it because she _didn't want_ me to disappear."

"I… I guess…"

"We don't have time, Shige-nii…"

Mayu turned towards Ayumi. She crouched down next to her and gently placed her hand on her forehead. Yoshiki felt too powerless to interfere anymore.

"Kishinuma-kun…"

He looked up at Mayu. He was falling apart inside. She was giving him a calm gentle smile.

"She'll be okay, Kishinuma-kun. I'll make sure of that, I promise."

Ayumi's body was surrounded by a soft blue light. Her breathing was slowly returning back to normal. After a minute or so her eyes finally opened again. The first thing she saw was Mayu's kind warm smile.

"You'll be fine, Shinozaki… just don't move for a couple of minutes."

"Suzumoto…"

Ayumi gave a weak smile. Then her eyes slowly turned to Yoshiki.

"Did… did I save you this time?"

Yoshiki gently placed his hand on her cheek.

"You sure did… You were amazing, Ayumi… But promise me you won't do something like that again, please… Please, don't do something so stupid… ever again…"

She let out a weak chuckle.

"You're shaking… I can tell by the way the particles in your hand are moving…"

"Of course I am… you scared me to death…"

She slowly lifted her hand and placed it over his.

"Thanks… thanks for always caring about me. I'll make up for it. I promise you that."

Mayu felt that Ayumi was out of immediate danger now, so she slowly stood up and drifted back to Morishige.

"She really cares about him, Shige-nii… You judged her too harshly. She cared about us all. Come on, there's something you need to say, don't you?"

"Yeah. I do."

He watched Ayumi slowly sit up, while Yoshiki started to panic about her well-being again. He had to laugh at the couple a little, when she started to pout and told Yoshiki off, telling him that she wasn't a little kid and that he didn't need to worry, since she knew what she was doing. From Yoshiki's expression, Morishige could tell Yoshiki wasn't exactly sure about that, but he let it slide.

They were always like that. Yoshiki was always fretting over her, and she always just brushed it off. But at the same time there was something different about their relationship now. Despite Yoshiki worrying about her all the time she seemed to smile, on the contrary to the obvious annoyance she used to exhibit whenever he was fretting over her too much before.

When Ayumi noticed he was looking at her, she gave a weak smile.

"I'm… I'm really really sorry, Morishige… please, believe me, I didn't want this to happen… everything you said is true, and you have every right to be angry… but you have to move on. I… I really don't want you to turn into a malevolent spirit, and your grudge towards me is already corrupting you…"

She cautiously pulled herself up on her feet.

"H… hey, Ayumi… maybe it'd be better if you remain sitting down, you're still hurt and…"

Yoshiki started panicking again.

"I'm sorry, Yoshiki. This is something I have to do."

Yoshiki just sighed. She was so stubborn. He couldn't possibly change her mind when she had her mind set on something.

She took a deep breath and bowed.

"I'm so sorry, Morishige. But I promise to you, if you move on you won't be in pain anymore. You can still be together with Suzumoto… But for that you have to let go of your grudge. Otherwise you won't be able to go with her."

"You know…"

Morishige's eyes softened a little.

"You've changed, Shinozaki. Remember this lesson. Don't lose sight of what you've been through, and make sure you learn from it. But most of all… you'll have to be strong, if you don't want it to break you."

Ayumi's smile disappeared.

"I know."

"But then again… You do have your knight by your side. I'm sure you'll be okay."

Yoshiki rolled his eyes.

"Would you _please_ stop calling me that?"

He was flat-out ignored.

Mayu giggled.

"Shinozaki, we'll be going now. See you around someday."

She took Morishige's hand and ran towards the door. Tears started to form in Ayumi's eyes again.

"When we see each other again, you two better have a play for us up your sleeve! I'll be looking forward to seeing you act again!"

Mayu just flashed her a smile over her shoulder. She ran through the door and faded away. Just before she pulled Morishige behind her, Yoshiki could swear he also turned to look at Ayumi and smiled for the last time. Ayumi didn't move for a while. She had tears slowly running down her cheeks without a sound. Yoshiki slowly placed his hand on her head. He didn't really know what to say.

"You okay?"

She nodded.

"I'm so sorry, Ayumi."

She just shook her head in response.

"I'll be okay. Don't worry."

She slowly rubbed her eyes. For a while she just stood in silence to calm down. Yoshiki didn't want to bother her either. Then she suddenly jumped.

"What time is it?"

"Um…"

Yoshiki looked up at the clock hanging on the wall.

"It's… a quarter to six."

She started to panic.

"We… we have to go, Yoshiki."

"Why? What's going on, why are you in such a hurry?"

"Forget the questions right now, we have to go!"

She ran off. Yoshiki just sighed and followed her. He could barely keep up with her, despite her legs being a lot shorter than his. She was running for her life. She made a sharp turn and continued on her way down the stairs. She took too much time trying to get Mayu and Morishige to pass on. She was hoping he'd still be there.

The cafeteria was just about in sight. She was trying really hard to catch her breath by now, but she wasn't slowing down.

Then her eyes finally found him. He was still patiently waiting for her. She felt really relieved about it. She promised Yoshiki. She promised. And she wasn't about to break that promise because of her stupidity.

"Mochida-kun!"

He looked up at her and smiled.

"Hey, Shinozaki."

"I'm… I'm so sorry… I'm… so very late…."

"It's okay, Shinozaki, don't worry about it."

Ayumi took a moment to catch her breath.

"You… you said there was something you needed to tell me today?"

"Yeah."

She looked over her shoulder. Yoshiki finally caught up with her.

"You know, I've never seen you run so fast before… what's up with you today? You really had me…"

He was stopped in his track when he came face to face with Satoshi. For a while he just stared without a word, trying to put his mind together. This was why she was in such a hurry. She had a deal with Satoshi, so they could properly say goodbye. The day has gone by so quickly, and they've done so much together, he almost forgot about the fact that he'll have to eventually pass on too. It completely slipped his mind. And now when that fact was hanging in the air again, it just made him realise that it won't be long, before he needs to say goodbye to Ayumi as well. And they won't be seeing each other again for a long time.

"Mochida-kun… someone's here to talk to you."

"I… I know. He's standing right next to you, isn't he."

Ayumi's heart started pounding. She could tell Yoshiki was just as surprised as she was.

"Can… can you see him?"

"Yeah. Just… just a little bit though. I can't see his face, but I can see a light human-like shape where he's standing. He's barely visible to me, but…"

There were tears streaming down his face by now.

"…it's you, isn't it? You came to say goodbye, didn't you, Yoshiki?"

For a while they both just stood there and stared at each other. Tears were running down Yoshiki's cheeks too.

'_What am I going to say? What am I supposed to say in this situation? Dammit, why is saying goodbye so damn hard?'_

Satoshi sighed, and then smiled an awkward forced smile.

"You weren't supposed to die on me, Yoshiki… I was really looking forward to seeing you and Shinozaki both okay…"

Yoshiki couldn't help it. He walked up to Satoshi and hugged him tight. He didn't even care how it looked to Ayumi anymore.

"I'm sorry, Satoshi… I'm really _really_ sorry…"

"I know…"

Satoshi kept smiling through the tears.

"I'm sorry too. I'm sorry, because there was nothing I could've done to save you. I should've been there."

Yoshiki chuckled. Satoshi was always acting like the leader of the group. He always worried so much about everyone, and he'd always end up beating himself up when anything bad happened to any of them. Even when there was nothing he could do about it.

"You know there was nothing… absolutely nothing you could've done. Besides, I died protecting someone I cared for. She's still alive, and that alone was a reason worth dying for."

"You changed, you know… A year ago, that's the last thing I thought I'd ever hear you say."

"I just have one thing to ask of you, Satoshi."

Satoshi didn't say anything, but he didn't have to. Yoshiki knew him well enough to know that this was Satoshi's sign that he was listening.

"You have to be strong, even if I'm not with you anymore. You have to still be strong, for the rest of them. And please, promise me you'll take care of her for me too."

Ayumi blushed. She didn't have to guess twice to know who was it Yoshiki was talking about.

"I will. I promise."

"Thanks. It's all I ask for."

A smile appeared on Ayumi's lips. This was it. With this, Yoshiki will be able to cross over as well. She finally made it. She atoned and helped everyone.

Then her smile suddenly faded.

Something was wrong.

He wasn't disappearing.

She opened her mouth to say something, but was cut off as Yoshiki suddenly turned to her and rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand.

"I… I'm sorry, Ayumi… I don't think I'm ready yet… there's still something I have to do…"

Without sparing her a second look he ran up the stairs and disappeared from her sight. Satoshi questioningly looked at Ayumi. Her eyes didn't leave the spot where she last saw Yoshiki. Then she slowly spoke up.

"I'm sorry, Mochida-kun… There's someone I need to go see.."

* * *

Hope you guys enjoyed the fourth part, and thank you for all the patience you've had with me and my… not updating.  
I was hoping to draw a title page for this fanfic as well, and hopefully I can get it under way soon. Probably won't be done by the time this fanfic is finished though.

-Jody14


End file.
